According to the Otago Daily Times, once tagged for probable closure, Dunedin's Cottonsoft factory is about to hire five more workers due to an ''aggressive'' increase in demand. Every day, 200,000 toilet rolls are made at the Timaru St factory for distribution around the South Island. The factory produces toilet paper and kitchen towels under brand names Cottonsoft, Tuffy, Paseo, and Kiwisoft.

Italy’s Cartiera San Lorenzo was hit by a fire recently and was forced to stop production. The local fire brigade said the fire originated in the plant’s production machinery. According to a source at the firm, the paper mill will restart production in roughly two months. Local newspaper Il Tirreno reported that the damage from the fire is estimated at some Euro 1.5 million ($1.6 million). Cartiera San Lorenzo has a capacity of 20,000 tonnes/yr of tissue paper and is owned by Celtex International.